A Journey from Hartford to Healing

From Hartford to Healing: Ruby Hawks’ Journey at the USD Sanford School of Medicine

Medical student Ruby Hawks is building a career rooted in patient connection and rural service after receiving training and mentorship through the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine.

For Hawks, learning when to step in and help wasn’t something taught in the classroom, but a way of life shaped by the rural community around her. Growing up in Hartford, South Dakota, Hawks was surrounded by the kind of rural culture where people show up for one another without being asked. That sense of responsibility began steering her toward medicine while still in high school.

Through involvement in her high school’s South Dakota Future Health Professionals chapter, Hawks started seriously considering a career as a physician. By her senior year, medical school was already on her radar, and the University of South Dakota stood out as a place where she could stay close to home while taking the first steps toward that goal.

During her undergraduate years, Hawks’ perspective on medicine shifted through an in-home health care experience that revealed the importance of sustained, personal relationships in healing. A patient she cared for, who was a retired nurse, taught her how to work closely with other patients and their families, exposing the deeply personal side of health care. What started out as a temporary job quickly became the turning point in how Hawks approaches patient care.  

“That experience showed me how care is reciprocal,” Hawks said. “You’re supporting patients, but they’re also shaping how you think, communicate and grow as a provider.”

Today, Hawks is completing her training in Pierre through the SSOM Frontier And Rural Medicine program, which prepares physicians for practice in rural areas. Hawks helps serve patients from a wide geographic area, many of whom face challenges when it comes to receiving care close to their homes due to hospital capacity, distance and limited specialty access.

Witnessing these challenges has further solidified her plans to practice women’s health, an area in which providers and access are limited, during Pillar 3 of her training through the USD SSOM.  

“I have seen how critical access to women’s health is in rural communities,” Hawks said. “Supporting these patients and their families during a very vulnerable and precious time is something that I am really drawn to.”

Another impactful experience has been her participation in REACH, a USD Sanford School of Medicine program that pairs medical students with high school and pre-med students across South Dakota. During monthly meetings, Hawks provides guidance on coursework, medical school preparation and career paths, helping students envision futures in medicine that may have once felt out of reach.  

That same commitment to connection carries into her clinical work, which Hawks finds most rewarding when she has cared for a patient over time and understands their background. That continuity fosters trust and a sense of purpose, leading her to consider returning to South Dakota after residency to serve a rural community like her own.  

Hawks’ experience at USD reflects the university’s commitment to supporting rural students and preparing them for meaningful careers in medicine. USD resources provide students with hands-on experience in clinical rotations, lab experiences and mentorships, all of which help students complete their degrees and transition into impactful roles in communities across South Dakota.

“Looking back at what I knew at the beginning of medical school to what I know now seems impossible,” Hawks said. “However, I got through it thanks to my classmates, mentors and USD professors and will continue to lean on them moving forward in my career.”